Homeschool Tip: Removing Book Spines & Adding Spiral Binding

Can I say how fabulous it is to remove book spines? If your curriculum workbooks are thick, it can be difficult for your child to keep the pages flat while working. Madeline gets so frustrated when the books want to close on her. And if it closes, she loses her place and has to find it again. There's a simple solution that's dirt cheap.

Cut off the spines and add spiral binding! Your kids will love it. I get my books done at Staples. It was just under $10 to remove the spines, add spiral binding, and insert plastic cover sheets to both of these Sylvan workbooks.

New spiral binding and clear plastic coversheet

Now the books lay perfectly flat. This workbook is open to page 182. If there was no spiral binding, it would be impossible to photograph open. Madeline would also be fighting to keep the workbook flat with one hand and write with the other. Now, no frustration during lessons!

Perfectly flat while open to page 182/183!

Even with a total of 310 pages, this book sits flat!

Another bonus, your student can just roll the extra side to the back. I learned about removing book spines from some of my sewing friends. They'd buy sewing books with quilt patters but couldn't keep the books open. So they removed the spines! Genius...

Try it and let me know what you think. I bet you'll want to do it to most of your workbooks  :)